Buy-to-Let Lending Dropped Again in February, Reports UK Finance

Buy-to-let lending for property purchases dropped again in
February, continuing the recent trend of declining investment in the sector,
according to the latest Lending Trends report from UK Finance.

In February, 4,800 new buy-to-let property purchase mortgages
completed, which is down by 7.7% on the same month of 2018.

However, 14,400 remortgages were completed in the buy-to-let
sector in February – up by 2.1% annually.

While buy-to-let lending for property purchases continue to
contract, due to tax and regulatory changes, buy-to-let remortgaging has
increased, as borrowers move from fixed rate mortgages and lock into attractive
rates.

In the wider property market, 24,880 new first time buyer
mortgages completed in February 2019 – 4.1% more than in the same month of the
previous year.

23,660 home mover mortgages were completed in the month,
which is up by just 0.1% year-on-year. While home movers are at the same levels
they were at this time last year, this is the fifth consecutive month of annual
growth in first time buyer figures.

At the same time, 18,200 new remortgages with additional
borrowing were recorded in February, which is up by 10% on the same month of
last year. For these remortgages, the average amount borrowed in the month was
£52,000.

The average loan-to-value (LTV) ratio in the remortgaging
market was 57%, while the typical loan-to-income (LTI) ration was 2.74. This is
considerably lower than mortgages for home purchases, which showed an average
LTV of 72% and LTI of 3.37. Customer engagement in the remortgaging market
remains high, with borrowers able to access a wide range of competitive
products.

Landlords, are you moving away from investing in new
buy-to-let properties and looking for attractive deals for your current
mortgages instead? It looks like this trend will continue in the sector.

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